United Technologies Corp Stock Buy Recommendation Reiterated (UTX)

United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A-

NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) has been reiterated by TheStreet Ratings as a buy with a ratings score of A-. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, growth in earnings per share, compelling growth in net income, largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures and solid stock price performance. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows weak operating cash flow.

The revenue growth came in higher than the industry average of 4.3%. Since the same quarter one year prior, revenues rose by 16.0%. This growth in revenue appears to have trickled down to the company's bottom line, improving the earnings per share.

UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORP has improved earnings per share by 5.3% in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company has demonstrated a pattern of positive earnings per share growth over the past two years. We feel that this trend should continue. During the past fiscal year, UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORP increased its bottom line by earning $5.35 versus $5.33 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings ($6.12 versus $5.35).

The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Aerospace & Defense industry. The net income increased by 283.6% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from $330.00 million to $1,266.00 million.

The debt-to-equity ratio is somewhat low, currently at 0.87, and is less than that of the industry average, implying that there has been a relatively successful effort in the management of debt levels. Despite the fact that UTX's debt-to-equity ratio is low, the quick ratio, which is currently 0.69, displays a potential problem in covering short-term cash needs.

Investors have apparently begun to recognize positive factors similar to those we have mentioned in this report, including earnings growth. This has helped drive up the company's shares by a sharp 37.48% over the past year, a rise that has exceeded that of the S&P 500 Index. Looking ahead, the stock's sharp rise over the last year has already helped drive it to a level which is relatively expensive compared to the rest of its industry. We feel, however, that other strengths this company displays justify these higher price levels.

United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to the building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. United has a market cap of $91.6 billion and is part of the industrial goods sector and industrial industry. Shares are up 21.6% year to date as of the close of trading on Friday.